Sinful Curry

With all the baking I’ve been doing in the last couple of weeks, I declare – this cake is by far the best, to make with whole wheat. My best friend K, is going to love it for sure. Not only for the whole wheat, but also for the yummm dee dum pa RUM  pum pum pum ;)!! Ingredients 2 cups whole wheat flour (I use the Pillsbury brand found in the Indian stores) 1 1/4 cup butter 3/4 cup dark rum 3 eggs 1/4 cup milk It is essential for the butter, milk and eggs to be at room temperature 1 cup sugar 2 heaped tsp baking powder 5 -6 drops of good vanilla extract 1/2 tsp of instant coffee powder 1/2 tsp cocoa 1/3 cup raisins 1/3 cup cashew nuts chopped 1/3 cup candied mixed fruit 1/3 cup dried fig chopped (if you don’t have these, you can use pitted dates instead) 1/2 tsp salt big pinch of nutmeg 1/3 tsp cardamom cinnamon clove spice mix 1 tsp orange zest 2 – 3 tbsp sugar to caramelize Directions Soak the raisins, candied fruit and figs in rum, over night. Caramelize 2 -3 spoons of sugar. Wh...

With all the baking I’ve been doing in the last couple of weeks, I declare - this cake is by far the best, to make with whole wheat. My best friend K, is going to love it for sure. Not only for the whole wheat, but also for the yummm dee dum pa RUM  pum pum pum ;)!! Ingredients 2 cups whole wheat flour (I use the Pillsbury brand found in the Indian stores) 1 1/4 cup butter 3/4 cup dark rum 3 eggs 1/4 cup milk It is essential for the butter, milk and eggs to be at room temperature 1 cup sugar 2 heaped tsp baking powder 5 -6 drops of good vanilla extract 1/2 tsp of instant coffee powder 1/2 tsp cocoa 1/3 cup raisins 1/3 cup cashew nuts chopped 1/3 cup candied mixed fruit 1/3 cup dried fig chopped (if you don’t have these, you can use pitted dates instead) 1/2 tsp salt big pinch of nutmeg 1/3 tsp cardamom cinnamon clove spice mix 1 tsp orange zest 2 – 3 tbsp sugar to caramelize Directions Soak the raisins, candied fruit and figs in rum, over night. Caramelize 2 -3 spoons of sugar. Whe...

Why is there just a tiny piece of cake in the picture? Because, that’s all there is left from what I baked last night! I confess, I ate most of it, my little boy some of it ,and my husband didn’t touch it. R, has a small problem, for a lack of a better word, when it comes to food. He’ll eat anything as long as he is oblivious to what’s in it. The moment you tell him what it is made of, and especially if they are healthier alternatives for the actual ingredients of the recipe, he will find a million reasons for why it doesn’t taste as good. In this case, the fibrous whole wheat apparently scoured his sensitive throat while he tried to gulp it down, or at least that is what I assumed, was happening when he said, he found it hard to swallow * eyes rolling *. My experiments with whole wheat flour for cakes, began for my best friend K, who lives in Boston with her 2 adorable boys and husband (he’s adorable too). She has been an avid reader of my blog, and though she is a thorough vegetarian...

Why is there just a tiny piece of cake in the picture? Because, that’s all there is left from what I baked last night! I confess, I ate most of it, my little boy some of it ,and my husband didn’t touch it. R, has a small problem, for a lack of a better word, when it comes to food. He’ll eat anything as long as he is oblivious to what’s in it. The moment you tell him what it is made of, and especially if they are healthier alternatives for the actual ingredients of the recipe, he will find a million reasons for why it doesn’t taste as good. In this case, the fibrous whole wheat apparently scoured his sensitive throat while he tried to gulp it down, or at least that is what I assumed, was happening when he said, he found it hard to swallow * eyes rolling *. My experiments with whole wheat flour for cakes, began for my best friend K, who lives in Boston with her 2 adorable boys and husband (he’s adorable too). She has been an avid reader of my blog, and though she is a thorough vegetarian...

This mouth watering cake is very similar to my chocolate cake except that I folded caramel sauce into the batter and stuck in toasted hazelnuts into the frosting. This slight twist made a world of difference to the taste and texture of the cake.   Hazel Caramel Chocolate Twist   Ingredients for the Cake 13/4 cups of all purpose flour 1 1/4 cup butter 1 cup milk 3 eggs It is essential for the butter, milk and eggs to be at room temperature 13/4 cups sugar 3/4 cup cocoa powder 3 heaped tsp baking powder 5 -6 drops of good vanilla extract 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp of instant coffee powder Ingredients for the frosting 3/4  cup  butter 2/3 cup Cocoa powder 2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup milk 5- 6 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder 1 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts Ingredients for Caramel Sauce 1/4 cup of sugar 2 – 3 drops of vanilla extract 3 Tbsp butter 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream Directions for the Caramel Sauce Heat sugar on high heat in a heavy-bottomed pan with a...

My best friend V doesn’t do cake in any other form but chocolate. Though she lives thousands of miles away she insisted I bake a chocolate cake for sure. And like I always do for her ;), I complied  and whipped up my Naked chocolate delight in her honor. This one is for the God Mother of my son- Rustic Naked Chocolate     Ingredients for the Cake 13/4 cups of all purpose flour 1 1/4 cup butter 1 cup milk 3 eggs It is essential for the butter, milk and eggs to be at room temperature 13/4 cups sugar 3/4 cup cocoa powder 3  tsp baking powder 5 -6 drops of good vanilla extract 1 tsp of instant coffee powder Ingredients for the frosting 3/4  cup  butter 2/3 cup Cocoa powder 2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup milk 5- 6 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder Directions for the cake In a bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time. Add in the vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, coffee powder , cocoa powder and salt u...

Since I began my baking a full week ahead of Christmas, it gave me plenty of time to  try out a few different kinds of cakes this time around.Of course I ‘had’ to  begin with my mom’s all famous ‘fruit n nut’ cake. Most of the cakes I bake follow the basic cake recipe and just a few additional ingredients give them their own identity. Here’s to you ma, blogging my very first recipe of your cake. Simple to make, hard to resist, crunchy and munchy cake.   fruit n nut cake   Ingredients 2 cups of all purpose flour 1 1/4 cup butter 2/3 cup milk 3 eggs It is essential for the butter, milk and eggs to be at room temperature 1 1/4 cup sugar 2 heaped tsp baking powder 5-6 drops of good vanilla extract 1/2 tsp of instant coffee powder (optional) 1 tsp cocoa powder (optional) 1/3 cup of raisins 1/3 cup of cashewnuts 1/3 cup of mixed candied fruit 1 tsp orange zest 1/4 tsp nutmeg 2 – 3 spoons caramelized sugar 1/2 tsp salt Directions Caramelize 2 -3 spoons...

Got this recipe from my neighbor J, who is an amazing cook herself. She’d made this for my friend L’s birthday and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I improvised it a tad bit and voila the cake is something that really calls for a cry of “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!!!!!” Tutti Frutti is essentially candied papaya . It gives a nice bite when folded into the cake. In India you get them as sachets of multicolored fruits in any bakery. In the US however, they were hard to find until, I stumbled upon them in my local Chinese market.  They tasted exactly like the ones in India did, but were chunkier and plain orange in color. The color didn’t matter to me and I just diced the chunks into smaller bits for the cake. So, if you are having trouble finding it, ask your Chinese grocer for candied papaya and I’m sure he would find you some. Ingredients 2 cups of all purpose flour 1 1/4 cup butter 2/3 cup milk 3 eggs It is essential for the butter, m...

This mouth watering cake is very similar to my chocolate cake except that I folded caramel sauce into the batter and stuck in toasted hazelnuts into the frosting. This slight twist made a world of difference to the taste and texture of the cake.   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="483" caption="Hazel Caramel Chocolate Twist"] [/caption]   Ingredients for the Cake 13/4 cups of all purpose flour 1 1/4 cup butter 1 cup milk 3 eggs It is essential for the butter, milk and eggs to be at room temperature 13/4 cups sugar 3/4 cup cocoa powder 3 heaped tsp baking powder 5 -6 drops of good vanilla extract 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp of instant coffee powder Ingredients for the frosting 3/4  cup  butter 2/3 cup Cocoa powder 2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup milk 5- 6 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder 1 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts Ingredients for Caramel Sauce 1/4 cup of sugar 2 - 3 drops of vanilla extract 3 Tbsp butter 1/4 cup heav...

My best friend V doesn't do cake in any other form but chocolate. Though she lives thousands of miles away she insisted I bake a chocolate cake for sure. And like I always do for her ;), I complied  and whipped up my Naked chocolate delight in her honor. This one is for the God Mother of my son- [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="435"] Rustic Naked Chocolate[/caption]     Ingredients for the Cake 13/4 cups of all purpose flour 1 1/4 cup butter 1 cup milk 3 eggs It is essential for the butter, milk and eggs to be at room temperature 13/4 cups sugar 3/4 cup cocoa powder 3  tsp baking powder 5 -6 drops of good vanilla extract 1 tsp of instant coffee powder Ingredients for the frosting 3/4  cup  butter 2/3 cup Cocoa powder 2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup milk 5- 6 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder Directions for the cake In a bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time. Add in the vani...

Since I began my baking a full week ahead of Christmas, it gave me plenty of time to  try out a few different kinds of cakes this time around.Of course I 'had' to  begin with my mom's all famous 'fruit n nut' cake. Most of the cakes I bake follow the basic cake recipe and just a few additional ingredients give them their own identity. Here's to you ma, blogging my very first recipe of your cake. Simple to make, hard to resist, crunchy and munchy cake.   [caption id="attachment_30" align="aligncenter" width="528" caption="fruit n nut cake"] [/caption]   Ingredients 2 cups of all purpose flour 1 1/4 cup butter 2/3 cup milk 3 eggs It is essential for the butter, milk and eggs to be at room temperature 1 1/4 cup sugar 2 heaped tsp baking powder 5-6 drops of good vanilla extract 1/2 tsp of instant coffee powder (optional) 1 tsp cocoa powder (optional) 1/3 cup of raisins 1/3 cup of cashewnuts 1/3 cup of mixed candied fruit 1 tsp...

Got this recipe from my neighbor J, who is an amazing cook herself. She'd made this for my friend L's birthday and I just couldn't get enough of it. I improvised it a tad bit and voila the cake is something that really calls for a cry of "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!!!!!" Tutti Frutti is essentially candied papaya . It gives a nice bite when folded into the cake. In India you get them as sachets of multicolored fruits in any bakery. In the US however, they were hard to find until, I stumbled upon them in my local Chinese market.  They tasted exactly like the ones in India did, but were chunkier and plain orange in color. The color didn't matter to me and I just diced the chunks into smaller bits for the cake. So, if you are having trouble finding it, ask your Chinese grocer for candied papaya and I'm sure he would find you some. Ingredients 2 cups of all purpose flour 1 1/4 cup butter 2/3 cup milk 3 eggs It is essential for the butter, milk and egg...